Motor-vehicle.



H. B. ROSS.

MOTOR VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.4.19I6.

Patented July 9, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

INVENTOR War/"yd Ross.

A TTORNEY H. B. ROSS.

MOTOR VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-4. 1915 1 ,2? 1,946. Patented July 9, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

f; M I 2% I E 29' 9 E F IIIIIIIIEILILIJIllliilllml 52 5? 59 ATTORNEY mm: a. nose, or nnivronr Henson, mcnrenn.

moron-VEHICLE;

Specification of Letters Patent.

racemes July a, rare.

Application filed December 4, 1916. Serial No. 184,801.

To all whom z'tmay concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY B. Ross, a citizen of the United States, residing" at Benton Harbor, in the county of Berrien and State of Msehigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in M- tor-Vehic1es,. 0f which the following is a specification;

' vehicle laterally.

This invention relates to motor vehicles,

With these and other ends in view, the invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter described andclaimed.

In the accompanyin drawings, Figural is a side elevation of t erear portion of'a motor vehicle embodyin the present invention. Fig. 2 is a rear e evation of the same with parts shown in section, takensubstantially through 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fi 3 IS a fra entary view of the vehicle b y frame and driving mechanism, shown partly in plan and partly in section, said section being on line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view on broken line 4-4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the lower end of one of the radius rods.

The vehicle body, illustrated in the draw- 1 ings, is formed with a rigid framework having longitudinal beam members 6, 6 and 6 connected near-their ends to upright post members 7 and 7 and transverse beam members 8 and 8 disposed in proximit to the upper ends of said post members, t e latter at each side being secured at their lower ends in spaced relations by a plate element 9.

By such construction, t ere is provided a bodyv of substantiall an inverted U -shape in cross-section to a 0rd a tunnel-like open- A (Fig. 2) between two side legs BI edow each of said legs is'a rcctan 'lar frame formed of side plates 10; an end plates 11. This frame is cent leg B and has at its other end a tongue the stub-sha ingedlyconnected, as at 12, from one of its ends to the ache-- 13 which extends into a vertically disposed guide 14 secured to the leg.

15 represents helical springs provided between each of the body legs and the free end of the subject frame. Rigidly secured, as by bolts 16, to the plates 10 of each frame, are bearing boxes 17 for the journal ends provided on the hub 18 of aground or traction wheel 19.

. 20 represents a bolt extending through the hub 18 and theframe plates 10 to prevent the latter from spreadin apart. secured to each wheel hub is a sprocket wheel 21 whereby the respective traction wheel is driven through the agency of a chain 22 ex tending down in the respective leg from a sprocket wheel 23 provided on a transversely arranged stub shaft 24. These shafts are Journaled at each side of the vehicle in bosses 25 pr0vided on the'forward ends of Fixedly complementary arms 26 which are coupled by' a bolt 27 (Fig. 3) and pivotally sup ported at their other ends by a pin 28 which is connected with the body. framework, as

shown.

. The stub shafts 24 may be driven in any suitable manner as, for example, b means,

of a system of diflt'erential gears an a train of spur gears, 29, 29 operatively connectin a pinion 30 provided onthe armature sha Y of amotor 31 with a spur gear 32 which serves I as the driving element of said system of difierential gears and carries the equational pinions 87. The stub shafts 2a are eachconnected b shafts 24 and 24 and universal couphngs 38 with the driven element 39 of the difierential ars.

To compensate for t e relative movements of the traction.wheels and to maintain stub shafts at different distances from the adjacent traction wheels, I provide radius rods 33. Each of these radius rods has an eye 34 at its lower end to receive a hem 1"! provided on one of the boxes 17 and at its upper end is bifurcated, as shown in Fig. 2, each branch being; bored to fit the bosses 25 of carrying arms 26.

The lower part of each of said radius rods is desirably provided with arcuate slots 35 (Fi 5) to accommodatebolts 36 connected to t e adjacent frame plate 10 and servingto obviate any torsional movements of the lower end of a rod.

From the fore oing, it is n that the stub shafts 24 of the 'vmg mechanism are supported by the radius rods which'eng:

the

' journal boxes of both the respective stub shafts and the Wheel axles. These radius rods, aswell as thedrive chains, are inclosed within the respective vehicle legs,

What I claim, is-- 1. In a l'noto'r Vehicle having a body o fan inverted U shape in transverse section, a frame provided under each leg of said body and hingedly connected atone of its ends to the respective leg, a spring interposed between the other end of the frame and the adjacent leg, a traction wheel carried in each frame, transversely arranged vertically movable power-driven shaftsprovided on the body, a radius rod connecting said shafts with the subjacent frames, and power-transsion' devices operatively connecting the shafts with the respective wheels.

- 2. In a motor vehicle having a body of an inverted U-shape in transverse section, traction wheels connected to the side members of the body for vertical movements independently of each other and relatively of said body, power-driven means provided on the upper portion of said body, and power transmission devices extending from said driven upper portion of said body, power transmission devicesextending from said driven means down through the respective side members to drive the "wheels, and means actuated by the relative vertical movements of the wheels with respectfto said body to effect movements to said power-driven means corresponding to the respective wheels.

4.111 a motor vehicle, the combination with a the vehicle bod traction wheels, frames carrying said w eels and connected with the body for relative -vertical movements, and means provided on said frames for 'yieldingly supporting the body, of

, power-driven shafts, arms pivotally connectedwith the body adjacent to the sides of the latter and provided attheir free ends with journal bearings for the shafts, driving connections between 4 said shafts and-the Wheels, and a radius rod connecting each of said frames with the respective arms whereby the latter are influenced by the relative movements of the frames to maintain the shafts at definite distances from the axes of the respective wheels.

, Signed at Benton Harbor, Mich, this 23 day of Nov.,11916.; I

i HARRY B. RUSS.

Witnesses: Y r i C. P. JormsoN,

E. M. BROWN. 

